Kathmandu, Aug. 20 -- Rice transplanting is nearing completion across Nepal, with farmers having covered 97.48 percent of the country's paddy fields by August 14, compared with 94 percent at the same stage last year. Agriculture authorities expect production to rise if the crop escapes major weather-related disruptions.

Farmers had transplanted rice on 1.336 million hectares out of a total paddy-growing area of 1.370 million hectares, according to the Department of Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment.

At the same point last year, transplanting had reached 94 percent, covering 1.303 million hectares.

The transplanted area is therefore about 30,500 hectares larger than at the same stage last year.

The ...